Lockdown: Doctors threaten strike over alleged harassment in Rivers

Thursday, April 2, 2020 2:22 pm

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Doctors working at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, have threatened to shut down operations of the medical institution over alleged consistent harassment of their members by the security agencies on their way to work following the lock down declared by the state government over the coronavirus.

President of the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD, of of the Rivers State Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mrs Josephine Sokolo, said other healthcare workers are also being harassed on a daily, despite being among those rendering essential services who should be excluded from the ban on movement.

According to Dr Mrs Sokolo,”We have noticed with dismay continued harassment of our members and other health workers by the members of the Nigerian Police and Nigerian Military. Health workers working in this time despite poor working condition, poor welfare packages, poor pay with no incentives, yet they are being harassed even after the waiver from the Rivers state government.

”We hereby appeal to the commissioner of police and the Commander of 6 Division of Nigeria Army headquarters Port Harcourt to desist from harassing our members and other healthcare workers, because if this persists, we have no order option to instruct our members to sit at home”.

When contacted the Spokesman of the state Police command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni said the command is not aware of the issue and urged the organization to make a proper complaint to the headquarters.